Bonnyrigg pensioner: ‘I don’t want to live like this until I die’

A wheelchair-bound pensioner is still fighting for basic disabled facilities six months after moving into a council house in Bonnyrigg.

Thomas McFadden (73) has been diagnosed with Motor Neuron Disease and could have just months to live.

In the February 20 edition of the Advertiser he labelled the lack of disabled access through his Durham Grove garden “a disgrace”, claiming that Midlothian Council had done “absolutely nothing” for him since he moved into the property.

The pensioner has also been locked in a dispute with the council over a number of issues inside the building.

His wheelchair can barely fit through the door surrounds, and, as a result, he is continually hurting and bruising his knuckles.

He finds it difficult to manoeuvre the chair around the small flat, and claims to have not showered in months due to the lack of facilities in the bathroom.

Mr McFadden explained: “These problems have been an issue from day one.”